i haven’t been hiking much lately due to working too much, primarily. its amazing…i work in the outdoor industry but it sometimes leaves me with too little strength to hike, ride, or whatever. irony.

i was able to get out with victor today, however. twas splendid. we hiked in the santa monica mountains and up to sandstone peak (mount allen) and inspiration point. gosh there are too many inspiration points.

the trail itself is a loop of just over 6 miles in total. we parked the car and headed up the trail. per the signs, we turned right and followed the slight up and gradual descent to Split Rock. Split Rock is a cool, weird boulder, about 1.8 miles into the journey. you can get a sip of water in the shallow stream here if need be, though it was pretty dry. from there, we turned right and went up and up and up but not too steeply. around 4 miles in, we reached inspiration point and another mile or so up, we reached sandstone peak/mount allen. its designated by a big, strange statue. finally, we went down the summit and turned right, as the “parking lot” arrow denoted.

it’s a nice hike; not too strenuous and not too easy. two thumbs up. tallest peak in santa monica mountains.

getting there: take westlake blvd/rt 23 south from westlake/thousand oaks to little sycamore canyon road. turn right on that and take it about 5-10 minutes to the parking lot on the right. if you hit circle ranch, you’ve gone too far.

Site visits

links

disclaimer

This is a blog. Before departing on any of the logged hikes, please check weather conditions and also make sure you are at an appropriate fitness level to experience that respective hike. I am not responsible for any failure to do this. Please use discretion, be safe, and enjoy and respect our beautiful outdoors!